


The Doctor is Worth the Monsters

by kcanwrite



Series: I Bring Life Project [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Jealousy, The Girl in the Fireplace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 17:32:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2741057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcanwrite/pseuds/kcanwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look into Rose’s thoughts about the Doctor’s actions in The Girl in the Fireplace and a bit of a resolution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor is Worth the Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> This was part of the I Bring Life Project. The prompt was Jealousy.

Rose sat down on the remnants of a metal bench in the 51st century spaceship and buried her face in her hands. She felt Mickey sit down next to her gingerly, unsure how to react. He placed a careful arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, he’ll be fine. He’s the Doctor. He knows what he’s doin’, jumpin’ through time windows on horseback and stuff." He sounded more like he was reassuring himself.

Rose sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears before standing out of Mickey’s reach. It wasn’t the jumping through time windows and trapping himself in France that troubled her. He did stupid, dangerous things all the time, but, usually, they did those things together, hand in hand. Allons-y! 

Ever since Mickey invited himself along, and the Doctor allowed him onboard, life had been different. The Doctor was distant, and Mickey was clingy. Running across time and space with the Doctor was her thing. She needed it to escape the monotony of work in a shop, the flat with Mum, and her relationship with Mickey. Suddenly, the Doctor was ignorant of all that. It was like he wanted her to ignore him and play house in the TARDIS with Mickey, and she just couldn’t make sense of it. On top of it all, he was running around with Reinette, the drop dead gorgeous mistress of France.

"Rose?"

"What?"

"He’ll come back, right? He won’t just abandon us on a broken spaceship, will he?"

She turned to face him with an expression of disbelief. “Course not.” She walked to the TARDIS and placed a hand to its blue exterior.

"Wait, course not, he won’t abandon us, or course not, he’s never comin’ back?" Mickey asked, the panic in his voice rising. "We can’t fly the TARDIS without him."

Rose felt her muscles tense as she sighed knowingly.

"How’s he gonna get back?"

She spun around madly. “I don’t know, Mickey! Alright? I just— I don’t know! Shut up, will ya?” Rose fell to the floor and crossed her legs as she leaned back against the TARDIS.

Five and a half hours later, the Doctor finally came through the fireplace, grinning like the madman she’d grown to love. He sent them into the TARDIS, speaking a million miles an hour about explaining everything later. Rose loved seeing him this excited, so she waited just a moment, watching him run back to the remaining time window. He didn’t close it, though. Instead, he called for Reinette over and over before hopping onto the mantle and spinning back into France.

She wasn’t sure how it made her feel at first, hearing another woman’s name on his lips like that. Her heart pounded and sank at the same time, butterflies filled her stomach but promptly took revenge on it. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Rose sucked in a deep breath and willed all the emotions away. She thought of the words Reinette had said to her in the few minutes they’d spent together. The Doctor is worth the monsters. She turned and entered the TARDIS, closing the door behind her.

"I told ya he’d come back!" Mickey exclaimed, running towards her for a celebratory hug.

She responded half-heartedly. “Course ya did.” She offered up a lackluster smile when he pulled back, hands resting on her shoulders.

"Hey, you can’t fool me. Wha’s the matter?"

Rose shook her head. “Nothin’. Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’m fine.”

Mickey raised an eyebrow, but didn’t have a chance to respond, because the door opened behind them. The Doctor entered, a frown etched into his previously jovial features and an open letter in his hand.

"Not you, too," Mickey whined. "That’s it, I’m goin’ for a kip. You two can mope together." He turned and started down the corridor, talking at them as he went, "Ya know, I was under the impression it was all fun and games and aliens with this box. But no. You’ve got me dealin’ with spaceships usin’ people for spare parts, what’s that about?" His voice trailed off in the distance.

The Doctor closed the door as Rose turned to look into his now-sullen eyes. “What’s the matter with you?”

"Reinette’s…" He couldn’t finish, but she understood.

"You knew her for a day."

"She was still a person!"

Rose scrunched her eyebrows together and rubbed her temples. She felt sad about Reinette. She’d seemed nice, but that wasn’t the point right now. “So am I!”

The Doctor stopped and looked taken aback for a moment. “I know,” he whispered.

"Then, what was today all about?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but quickly closed it again. “I don’t understand.” Talk about being from Thicktown Thickania.

"Ever since you let Mickey tag along, you’ve been…I don’t know…not you. What’s the matter with you? The Doctor I know wouldn’t run off and spend a lifetime with Madame de Pompadour while I’m stranded all alone on a broken down spaceship. Not after everything we’ve been through together. My Doctor wouldn’t do that. Not without me." She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and leaned back against a railing.

"You weren’t alone, though. You had Mickey," he pointed out, somewhat helplessly.

Rose sighed again. “You’re missing the point. I don’t want Mickey!” She took a step towards him and grasped his lapels. “I want you!” And with that, she kissed him. The sheer force and passion of it pushed him back into the other railing, and he wrapped his arms around her to steady himself. They hadn’t kissed like this since after chasing that werewolf in Scotland. He’d seen her interact with Mickey after that, and he’d reconnected with Sarah Jane. It all had reminded him that he just couldn’t have relationships with humans. The Doctor had felt the need to push Rose and Mickey together for Rose’s good, despite his own emotions. But, here Rose was, protesting, kissing him. And, here he was, kissing her back, running his fingers through her hair. And it’s true, he’d tried to use Reinette to move on, to distract himself from the jealousy he felt seeing Mickey with Rose. It had worked for a little while, but she wasn’t Rose; no one could compare to Rose.

They pulled apart. Breath hot, hands tangled in each others’ hair, eyes hooded.

"Doctor, what were you thinking?" Rose pleaded.

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I want you to be happy. I can’t grow old with you. I—”

She pressed her forehead to his. “You don’t age. I know. You told me. And, I told you, I don’t care. I’m here with you, forever. That makes me happy. Okay? Stop pushin’ me away.”

He kissed her lightly. “Okay.”

"Now, if you ever go galavantin’ off with some sexy French courtesan again, _I’ll_ have _your_ head. Got it?”

The Doctor smiled and coughed out a nervous laugh. “I don’t doubt it.”

Rose tilted her head up and kissed him again, smiling for the understanding between them.


End file.
